Matt Teagarden is the CEO for the Kansas Livestock Association (KLA), one of the largest state livestock organizations in the country. Teagarden works with the KLA board of directors for all association business.
Teagarden agreed to an email Q&A discussion with Progressive Cattle about the ongoing policy debate over immigration and keeping agricultural production staffed during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) checks at packing plants.
First, tell a little about the Kansas Livestock Association. Is it just cattle producers or other allied industries in beef production?
TEAGARDEN: KLA is a trade association representing nearly 5,700 members on legislative and regulatory issues. KLA members are involved in many aspects of the livestock industry. From a beef cattle standpoint, our members include seedstock, cow-calf, stocker and cattle feeding operations. Our Dairy Council is comprised of dairy farms, heifer development operations and calf ranches. We have a few swine operations and farming operations.
What have been the key factors in the ICE workplace raids that have raised concerns for KLA?
TEAGARDEN: The enforcement actions have put a spotlight on the dysfunction of our current immigration system. We have seen examples of businesses that did everything they could to hire legal workers lose roughly half their workforce. We have seen absenteeism at nearby businesses in the wake of enforcement actions. The situation is untenable for many businesses across our sector, including many KLA members.
It is reported that more than half of ag labor, and even those working in cattle and beef production, comes from immigration. Why have we as a country chosen this double standard of hiring affordable workers but demanding tough enforcement of immigration?
TEAGARDEN: We have been waiting on immigration reform for far too long and this is a moment for the administration to do so in a way that supports the needs of the American people and our economy. It is a complicated issue but one with solutions that are becoming clearer. We need to secure the border, which the administration has largely done. We also need to secure our workforce. That includes providing an opportunity for our current workforce to earn legal status. We also need guest worker programs that meet the needs of employers and help fill jobs not in demand by domestic workers.
In your mind, what must be done to secure this ongoing workforce for industries such as dairy production and meat-packing segments?
TEAGARDEN: Many industry segments, including agriculture and food production, need a program for current employees to gain permanent legal status. That might include a requirement for an employer sponsor to ensure the integrity of the program and cover the costs of administration. Our guest worker programs also must be reformed. Feedyards, dairies and meat packers need access to a year-round guest worker program to meet their labor requirements. The current seasonal H-2A program needs to be streamlined. Many of those workers return to the same farm year after year. The current paperwork requirements for returning workers are much too complex.
You have been quoted saying, 'We can use imported workers or we can import our food.' Are we really at that juncture of choosing one or the other?
TEAGARDEN: I believe we are. We do not have domestic workers in sufficient numbers willing to do the work required on our farms, feedyards and dairies.
This is an administration that has strong support among the cattle and ag production voters. Do these enforcements jeopardize that support?
TEAGARDEN: The administration has demonstrated a willingness to listen to agriculture, and we support those efforts. The president has indicated the need for a program to address the current ag workforce. Secretary Rollins has been a champion on this issue and an important voice on the president’s team.
Did KLA reach out to the administration or Secretary Rollins with your concerns after ICE began workplace inspections at ag operations?
TEAGARDEN: We did not.
Tariffs on beef and other commodities are another area where concerns are heavy among producers. What is KLA’s policy or response to higher tariffs on our international buyers?
TEAGARDEN: KLA members are optimistic these trade negotiations will lead to better access for U.S. beef and dairy products around the world.
